Rain-light-solar-condensation sensor: Notes

WARNING: This page does not describe the selected car, but rather 7 other vehicles, including the 2017 BMW X3, 2016 BMW X3, 2015 BMW X3, 2014 BMW X3, and 2013 BMW X3. However, it is still accessible from the selected car via links, so may be relevant.

Depending on the series and the vehicle equipment, different versions of the sensor are used.

There are, for example, the following versions of the sensor:

Rain/light sensor
Solar sensor
Solar condensation sensor
Rain/light solar sensor with Head-Up Display sensor system (HUD stands for Head-Up Display)
Rain-light-solar-condensation sensor with/without HUD sensor system

At the moment, third and fourth generation sensors are installed.

In the sensor, the following sensors and components are grouped into one component:

Rain sensor:
The rain sensor consists of three individual sensors that are arranged in a semicircle around the driving light sensor and pick up the precipitation quantity on the windscreen.
Light sensor:
The rain/light sensor consists of two photosensors that pick up the brightness of the ambient light and of the frontal light. Vehicles up to 09/2008: If the vehicle is fitted with a Head-Up Display, a modified rain/light sensor for the frontal light adjusts the brightness of the Head-Up Display too.

Vehicles from 09/2008: If the vehicle is fitted with a Head-Up Display, a separate photosensor adjusts the brightness of the Head-Up Display.
Solar sensor:
The solar sensor consists of two photosensors that measure the intensity of the sunlight for the driver's and the passenger's sides.
Condensation sensor:
The condensation sensor ensures prompt recognition of incipient condensation for the integral automatic climate control (IHKA), before the driver notices any fogging tendency. Countermeasures can be initiated at an early stage without the driver needing to intervene. The condensation sensor is active only in the automatic program of the integral automatic climate control.
Electronic component:
The electronic component evaluates the sensor signals.

Depending on the series, the rain-light-solar-condensation sensor is connected to one of the following control units through a LIN bus:

Junction Box Electronics (JBE), e.g. F01
Front Electronic Module (FEM), e.g. F30
Body Domain Controller (BDC), e.g. F15, F56, I01